It plumps up your skin and smoothes fine lines. All it takes is 20 minutes. Cue: castor oil.
Plenty of people tell us that castor oil is great for our hair—and like we’ve mentioned before, it’s all true. Castor oil carries ricinoleic acid and omega 6 essential fatty acids, which help accelerate blood circulation to the scalp, hence promoting hair growth.
Once I saw the amazing results from incorporating castor oil into my own hair routine, I began trolling the internet in search of more information on the product and looked up all the ways to use castor oil for beauty purposes. I’m happy to report there’s quite a few uses and benefits to using the product.
While it’s most common use is for beauty, it also has some health benefits including joint pain and sore muscle relief and laxative effects.
Keep scrolling to read more about castor oil and all of its amazing perks.
1. Helps Wound Healing
Castor oil helps heal wounds by stimulating the growth of new tissue, reducing dryness and preventing the buildup of dead skin cells.
When you apply castor oil to wounds, it creates a moist environment that promotes healing and prevents sores from drying out. It helps to heal by stimulating tissue growth so that a barrier can be formed between the wound and the environment, decreasing the risk of infection.
It also reduces dryness and cornification, the buildup of dead skin cells that can delay wound healing.
2. Has Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Studies have shown that when castor oil is applied topically, it reduces inflammation and relieves pain.
The pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory qualities of castor oil may be particularly helpful to those with an inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.
3. Promotes Hair Growth
Heating the oil and massaging it into your scalp will improve circulation to the hair follicles. You can also use this method on different areas of hair growth, such as your eyebrows or eyelashes to help them grow longer and fuller. Castor oil is packed full of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and antioxidants that help promote a protein called keratin.
It’s safe to use everyday and will not promote hair growth in unwanted areas such as your arms or legs. Applying castor oil to the scalp can also help prevent and heal dandruff and create smoother, shinier hair.
4. Reduces Acne
Castor oil has several qualities that reduce acne symptoms.
Reducing Inflammation is thought to be a factor in the development and severity of acne, so applying castor oil to the skin may help reduce inflammation-related symptoms.
5. Powerful Laxative
Most people are familiar with the discomfort of constipation. For years, castor oil was shunned because it wasn’t safe for any level of consumption, but thankfully now due to the oil extracting process, the toxins can now be removed, making it safe for use.
If you suffer from any degree of constipation, instead of turning to laxative pills and powders right away, try using castor oil. By mixing one teaspoon into orange juice or another fruit juice to mask the flavor, the castor oil will speed up digestion and cleanse the system.
Be careful not to ingest more than one teaspoon, because it can create problems such as nausea, vomiting, and loose bowels.
6. Fights Fungus
Candida albicans is a type of fungus that commonly causes dental issues like plaque overgrowth, gum infections, and root canal infections.
Castor oil has antifungal properties and may help fight off Candida, keeping the mouth healthy.
Castor oil may also help treat denture-related stomatitis, a painful condition thought to be caused by Candida overgrowth. This is a common issue in elderly people who wear dentures.
7. Prevent Infections
The ricinoleic acid in castor oil has antibacterial properties that can be used for treating infections ranging from acne to athlete’s foot. While some people are wary to apply oils to acne prone skin, castor oil will help clear the skin, rather than clog it. It will decrease the inflammation and hydrate and soothe problem areas. The anti-inflammatory components can also help with sunburn relief.
Castor oil can be used to treat more severe infections as well. Even when only applied topically, it increases white blood cell count, which are the blood cells that fight off infections and kill fungi and viruses. For most infections including athlete’s foot, all you need to do is warm up the castor oil and apply it to the affected area. You can wrap the area to ensure it doesn’t make a mess.
8. Keeps Your Scalp Healthy
A lot of people use castor oil as a natural hair conditioner. Dry or damaged hair can especially benefit from an intense moisturizer like castor oil.
According to Healthline, applying fats like castor oil to the hair on a regular basis helps lubricate the hair shaft, increasing flexibility and decreasing the chance of breakage.
Castor oil may also benefit people who experience dandruff, a common scalp condition characterized by dry, flaky skin on the head.
9. Boosts Immunity
Castor oil is one of the best natural remedies when it comes to treating backache. If you want to get rid of any pain and stiffness, try rubbing castor oil on your back.
Helen Sanders is the chief editor at HealthAmbition.com. Established in 2012, Health Ambition has grown rapidly in recent years. Our goal is to provide easy-to-understand health and nutrition advice that makes a real impact. We pride ourselves on making sure our actionable advice can be followed by regular people with busy lives.
Next up, 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Castor Oil Every Day,
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